POLICE were involved a massive car chase through the streets of Southport when two young men were spotted waving a gun out of the window of their car this afternoon.

Police chased two men through the streets of Southport after they were spotted waving this gun from the window of their car

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POLICE were involved a massive car chase through the streets of Southport when two young men were spotted waving a gun out of the window of their car this afternoon.

Four police cars and a force helicopter were involved in the chase, which came to a dramatic halt outside the Visiter office on Tulketh Street.

Officers immediately cordoned off the area, urgently warning passers by to stay inside the nearby shops.

Crowds soon gathered around Tulketh Street as the two boys were put into a police car while their own car, a blue Ford Fiesta, was searched.

Police uncovered an object, initially thought to be a shotgun, inside a bag in the car.

Sean Wright, who was working for Styles and Wood outside Marks and Spencer at the time of the incident, said: "There were two young lads in the blue Fiesta. The police put them up against the car, then they searched the car. I saw them pull a gun out of a blue carrier bag.”

On further inspection the police confirmed that the weapon in question was, in fact, a BB gun.

The two men, who had driven from St Helens to Southport waving the BB gun, were released without charge immediately.

One of the officers who was involved in the chase told the Visiter: “We received reports from members of the public informing us that there was a car with two lads in waving a gun out of the window.

“We followed the vehicle down the Rainford Bypass, through Scarisbrick and into Southport where it stopped in Tulketh Street.

“We immediately approached the two men in the car and cordoned off the area. We discovered the gun itself was a BB gun.

“These two men were just plain stupid. The next step for us was to call in the armed response officers.

“The gun that we recovered was so realistic, it would have had someone from the military fooled, so it is no wonder members of the public were concerned.”